Following the end of the Suez War, the United States exerted great pressure on Israel to withdraw from the territory it captured from Egypt. The British, who had colluded with Israel and the French in planning the war, were afraid that U.S. support for the Arab side would jeopardize the agreement reached for Israel to leave the Sinai.

The Foreign Secretary said that, although the settlement about the withdrawal of Israeli forces which appeared to have been reached between the United States Government and the Israeli Government would have been broadly acceptable to us, the latest speech by the United States representative at the United Nations had been unduly sympathetic towards the Arab States and there was now some danger that the Government of Israel would withdraw their agreement. If the prospect of a reasonable settlement receded again, we should have to reconsider our policy; but we might hope that the risk of a resolution merely invoking sanctions against Israel had now been finally averted.